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Arctic Melt, by Andy Armstrong, NOAA

Caution

All technical information and scientific data released by US Government agencies (e.g., NASA, EPA…) are subject to sudden variation because of political expediency.
This caution also extends to the fidelity of the information provided by UN organizations (e.g., FAO, WHO…).

WARNING!

Point of No Return:
Unless global energy consumption is reduced immediately to below 60EJ, mechanisms that are destroying ecosystems including ozone holes, global heating, extreme climate events... reach the point of no return, overwhelm the life support systems, render most cities uninhabitable by 2015 or earlier.

Wealth & Poverty

Archive for the ‘WTO’ Category

Pornography on Internet Courtesy of Google, Inc

MSRB Moderators have received information from fellow bloggers in South East Asia that the “DO NO Evil [sic]” Google is spreading pornography on Internet in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and possibly other countries.

A simple image search can connect Google users to various on-line pornography sites directly and without any warning.

Meanwhile, it was reported that neither Google’s search engine nor its Chinese-language version were accessible in most parts of China, presumably blocked by the authorities as a retaliatory measure.

China has demanded that all new computers sold in the country come pre-installed with an Internet-filter software called Green Dam Youth Escort to block pornographic content, starting July 1, 2009.

As the deadline approaches, however, the US called on China to scrap its plan. “China is putting companies in an untenable position by requiring them, with virtually no public notice, to pre-install software that appears to have broad-based censorship implications and network security issues,” BBC reported the US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke as saying.

“Mandating technically flawed Green Dam software and denying manufacturers and consumers freedom to select filtering software is an unnecessary and unjustified means to achieve that objective, and poses a serious barrier to trade,” Kirk said.

“The latest comment raises the concern about a broader trade war between the US and China over everything from computer security to chicken poultry imports.” The report said.

The US has already filed major complaint with the World Trade Organization accusing China of unfair trade practices by restricting competitors’ access to raw materials, and is now complaining that to pre-install the “pornography-filter” software would violate China’s WTO free trade obligations because it puts pressure on PC manufacturers.

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology now says installation of the filter was not compulsory and users can uninstall the software.